September 4 - 10, 2025
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Survey opens on youth wellness, page 5
Blaine child wins nationally in BMX, page 11
Whatcom County to hold UGA hearing, page 13
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
I-5 crash near Berm fencing installed to protect plantings Custer sends three to hospital By Grace McCarthy
s Whatcom County Public Works Department crews installed wooden fencing along parts of the Birch Bay berm during the last weekend of August to protect native plants. Public works plans to add more fencing this fall in other highly trafficked areas. Read more on page 7.
Photo by Molly Ernst
Former health director files tort claim
Claim alleges sex discrimination and retaliation from county executive B y P a t G r u bb
Former Whatcom County Health and Community Services director Erika Lautenbach has filed a tort claim against the county seeking $1.5 million in damages, alleging sex discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation by county executive Satpal Sidhu. The tort claim was filed with Whatcom County Council requesting compensation for the alleged damages. Washington state law requires notice of the tort claim 60 days before a lawsuit can be filed
against a county. County council privately discussed litigation threatened against the county in an August 26 executive session and took no action. Lautenbach was terminated on March 19 after serving nearly five years as director of the county’s third-largest department. She was appointed to the position in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and oversaw significant expansion of services, including the Response Systems Division, Healthy Children’s Fund and severe weather shelters.
Blaine postal carrier honored “National Hero of the Year” following dog attack By Grace McCarthy Blaine postal carrier Dave Hamilton, 55, received national recognition for saving a woman from a dog attack earlier this year. Hamilton’s union, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, awarded him the “National Hero of the Year” honor in front of 1,500 people during the union’s convention on August 20 in Orlando, Florida. Hamilton was the only one named
national hero after being selected among three other finalists who were regionally recognized for going above and beyond in their communities. “I was exhilarated,” Hamilton said. “To be called a hero at all is really something, but being called ‘National Hero of the Year’ is incredible.” Hamilton’s August 20 honor lined up exactly with his 20th year at the U.S. Postal Service, all of which he’s spent in Blaine.
Standing on stage, Hamilton said he was shocked to hear he had won the national award. Everyone else on stage had done notable acts of service, so Hamilton had no expectation of receiving the highest honor. Orlando fire chief Charlie Salazar, who presented the award, cited Hamilton’s heroic act from a previous article in The Northern Light. Salazar said he was espe(See Award, page 6)
The tort claim, filed by Carney Badley Spellman law firm, details a pattern of alleged discriminatory behavior by Sidhu beginning with her 2020 interview. According to the claim, when Lautenbach mentioned she was remodeling her kitchen, Sidhu responded, “Ah, the kitchen, a woman’s palace,” leaving both Lautenbach and deputy executive Tyler Schroeder uncomfortable. The claim alleges that tensions escalated in early 2025 when Lautenbach (See Tort claim, page 5)
INSIDE
A 40-year-old Ferndale man was arrested after allegedly causing a crash on I-5 in Custer that sent two adults and a two-year-old boy to the hospital late at night on August 31. Victor Ryan Charles Sweet, 40, was being held in Whatcom County Jail for charges related to vehicular assault, DUI, hit-and-run injury, operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock and driving with a suspended license, according to September 2 jail booking data. According to the Washington State Patrol (WSP), Sweet, driving a 2001 green Lexus, came up behind a 2022 black Hyundai Santa Fe around 11:30 p.m. on southbound I-5 near the Custer rest area. At a high rate of speed, Sweet struck the Hyundai carrying three Kirkland residents: a 36-year-old woman, 35-year-old man and a two-year-old boy, according to state police. The Lexus that Sweet was driving came to rest on the right shoulder, while the Hyundai stopped in the median. Sweet fled westbound on foot before law enforcement found him, according to WSP. The three Kirkland residents were transported to St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham. PeaceHealth spokesperson Amy Drury said the 35-year-old man was released, but was unable to provide information on the other two victims. Everyone involved in the crash, including Sweet, wore seatbelts, and the child was properly restrained in a rearfacing car seat, according to WSP. The WSP said drugs or alcohol were involved, though WSP Trooper Kelsey Harding said the cause was still under investigation as of September 2. Both vehicles were totaled. The Washington State Department of Transportation reported the collision closed both southbound lanes of I-5 for several hours. WSP booked Sweet into jail about 6 a.m. September 1. He remains in jail as of September 3 in lieu of $250,000 bail.
TheNorthernLight
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
TheNorthernLight.com